Collision
by Trenchcoatkitten
Summary: What would happen if Max and the flock met another group of kids that escaped from the school? What will happen to Alex when she realizes that she's becoming more and more like Max? Rated T for mild language and fighting. Sorry I'm bad at summaries :/
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi everyone! So I'm Theaterlover13, and I love writing. This is my first FanFic EVER. So please don't hate :)**

**But enough about me. **

**This is a story about a new girl. Her name is Alex. **

**(BTW I AM TOTALLY, INCONTESTABLY, AND UNDENIABLY FAX! FAX FTW!) (I am also **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride. **

**Chapter 1: My Gang**

**Alex POV: **

I kneeled, scanning the perimeters. _It was time to move_. I crawled over to Paige and shook her awake. Her young face seemed to age as she woke, from peacefully two years younger to her usual ten-year-old self. Ten years old was the youngest in our group. Her brown eyes opened and were instantly sparkling.

Paige was my little sister. Her golden hair matched mine exactly, and her brown eyes reflected mine. She sat up, her cute pigtails bouncing, incredibly still intact after sleeping. Her movement awakened Panda, who was a thirteen-year-old girl. She hardly spoke. She managed to not be a tomboy, but also not be a girly-girl. Her green eyes looked up intelligently at me, and I smiled and hugged her shoulders. She pulled her backpack closer and started to brush her short black hair, her eyes still on me.

I turned from her and gave Caramel a little shove, and she meowed and stretched.

Yes, Caramel was a cat. Her brown fur ruffled with the slight breeze and I looked up into the sky. I hoped we could stay ahead of the weather. We would have to start soon.

"Hey." I said, effectively waking up Jitter, who was always alert, even when he was sleeping. He was instantly on his feet.

And hyper.

I ignored him as he bounced over to Key, his brown hair shivering with his quick movements. _Crazy kid. _But I still love him. I love everyone in my little group.

Key sat up, his black hair a mess. He was just a bit younger than me, and his eyes were black. I laughed internally at his crazy hair.

He glanced across the small clearing at me, and I nodded. He nodded back. Somehow, we managed to know each other so well that we could communicate without words. He knew that we were leaving.

I was the leader of our gang, but Key was my right hand man. He was always ready for anything and I could trust him completely and indubitably. He stood, pulling his arms into his jacket. He was just about as tall as me.

I zipped up my jacket, the one that I loved to pieces. It was large and thick, with two pockets for my hands at my stomach, and two button pockets on my chest. It was a very dark green color. It was my prized possession. Anything else would have been too hard to carry around. We have to travel light. I pulled my backpack onto my back after removing two cans of Ravioli. I tossed them to Jitter, who caught them easily and cranked them open.

"Hey, hey, hey! Save some for us!" Paige protested as Jitter dug in. She had redone her pigtails, and they swung lightly as she stepped forward.

"Don't worry." I calmed them before they could start to bicker. "We have some bread too." I grabbed the bread from Key, who already had it extended to me.

I watched as they attacked their food, only taking a little for myself. I wanted them to have the most. Traveling isn't easy. I could last longer than them.

Hopefully.

Key noticed how little I ate and offered me some of his. But I just shook my head. "Eat it. Traveling takes more out of you than it does for me. And I ate some."

He looked at me disapprovingly. Then he said; "Don't brag. Just because you have wings and all I have is my four paws."

I know what you're thinking. What the hell are these freaks talking about?

Well, you see, we are mutants.

We grew up in this horrible lab called the School. People in white coats (who are called Whitecoats) experimented on us. They held us in cages and put us through hell every day for the first fourteen years of my life. We escaped last year. Every moment in that vile place has blended together into a terrible mesh of hatred, pain, and fear.

Except for ten minutes.

I'm not sure how old I was, but I had awakened to the sound of a cage door opening. I braced myself, trying to prepare myself for the next onslaught of torture, but then I realized that it wasn't my cage that had been opened.

The girl in the cage next to me cowered in the back, her arms crossed in front of her face.

Her name was Max- Maximum Ride.

We talked once in a while, but most of the time when we got back into the cages all we wanted to do was sleep. I knew that she was about my age, and she was like me- she had wings. They were lying out limply behind her.

I looked in sympathy at her situation.

But something made me look again.

The man that had opened her cage was Jeb Batchelder, and behind him stood five barefoot mutants, all of which also had wings. A tall dark one that I knew as Fang, and tall skinny blind boy, Iggy, a shorter girl with brown hair named Nudge, and two little blonde kids, the Gasman and Angel, who were hugging each other.

Jeb whispered to Max- "Come on. We are leaving. Breaking out."

Maximum climbed to out of her cage and I scrambled to the front of mine, reaching out through the front and crying out, "Take me! Please, me too!"

The three of them that were still in the room, Fang, Max and Jeb, looked back. Fang took a deep breath and left the room.

"Don't leave me here!" I sobbed. "You can't leave me here!"

Jeb wrapped an arm around Max's shoulders and led her out of the room.

I will never forget the look of pity in her eyes.

It makes me want to kill her.

But I would have done the same thing. If I would have left a lonely girl if I was in Max's situation.

Key shoved me. "Hey. You okay?"

"What? Oh- oh yeah, I'm fine."

Key, (as always) seemed to know what I was thinking. "Alex. You would've done the same thing. Don't blame Max. And think about now. Just here. With us."

I surveyed our group.

I had wings. Key was an Eraser gone good- he could morph into a giant dog thing. Panda was the same. Normally the Erasers are the bad guys. We have been in multiple fights with them already. Caramel was a talking cat that could grow to three times her normal size. Jitter was… Well, Jitter was jittery. He can run insanely fast, he tells us that he's hit 150 mph, but we don't really believe him. He averages 75 to 90. He also has superhuman senses. If you put him in a crowded area, he can spot a rusty penny on the ground on the other side, he can hear the little girl in the middle crowd when you can't hear her when she's standing next to her, and he can smell _hard candy _across the whole crowd.

We don't take him to crowded places very much. It freaks out his senses.

Paige was what we call a Patch-up. She was just a bunch of stuff put together. She had retractable claws. She could breathe under water. She could create ice with her hands. She can turn mostly invisible, and if she isn't moving, you can't see her. But if she is moving, you can see a small blur. I think she had some shark DNA in her, because every time she loses a tooth, which is exceedingly often, another one grows back, no matter how many times she's lost a tooth in that place. _And_ they're really sharp.

When we travel, she rides on Key's back, but we've never looked at her like a burden. She's always so helpful.

Key shook out his hair, and I grinned at him. Then I turned to my gang. They were all looking at me. I grinned, and they returned the favor.

"Let's roll."

**Did you like it? Love it? Hate it? Please tell me!**

**Thank you sooooooo much for reading it and I want to give a shout out to Cactus Luv and Ezzy67! Thanks so much guys for getting me hooked on this site! I love you guys! :D **

**I'll update if I get even one review because this is my first Fanfic :) **

**R&R plz! :D **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi!**

**So I realize that last chapter I did write '(I am also' and I didn't finish it. I **_**was **_**going to write: (I am also **_**not **_**Eggy, or Niggy. I don't agree with either lol. Ella and Iggy just don't mix for me, and Iggy is too old for Nudge) **

**Thank you Ezzy67 for the review, and I wrote another chapter for you guys! I've gotten into this story so much and its all I can think about even if I'm supposed to be doing other stuff ;D **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the amazing series Maximum Ride. **

**Chapter 2: First (or, second, I guess,) impressions**

**Alex POV:**

Key and Panda changed into their wolf form, fur sprouting over their bodies until they were big monsters with gleaming eyes. The way that we differentiated them from the bad Erasers was their eyes. Eraser's eyes were always yellow. Panda's eyes were brown and Key's eyes were black. I extended my wings and helped Paige onto Key's back. Jitter picked up Caramel.

Key and Panda bounded off, Jitter zipped after them, and I checked the site one last time before propelling myself into the air and pumping hard with my wings. The wind billowed beneath them, and I rose higher.

I could see my little gang, Panda and Key running alongside each other, Paige with her arms around Key's neck, Jitter running by them and talking to Paige.

I dive-bombed them, enjoying the pure bliss of flying and the feel of the wind in my golden hair.

I flew low, next to Panda, and saw Jitter, Key, and Paige talking.

"Howya doin' Panda?"

She was panting. "I'm tired."

"We haven't even been going for twenty minutes!" I protested. _Were we really that out of shape? _

She saw the look on my face and shook her big Eraser head. "I'll be fine."

I nodded, smiling, and patted her head. She smiled up at me, and I angled my wings so I soared to the side, above Key and Paige. I tapped Paige on the head, and she smiled up at me.

"Howya doing sweetie?"

"_I'm _fine. Caramel keeps saying she's hungry though."

"Oh _shoot!_" _I forgot to feed her_. I thought.

"Yeah, you did forget to feed me. I can't eat _Ravioli. _I need food!" Caramel's voice squawked.

"I'm sorry." I apologized. "Here, Jitter, pass her."

Jitter tossed Caramel up, and when I caught her she glared at me. But only up until I pulled a cat treat out of my pocket and gave it to her.

She munched on it, and didn't complain.

"Alex!" Jitter suddenly said, his head snapping straight forward.

I flew down beside him. "What is it?"

"Someone… Someone familiar is getting attacked by Erasers!"

"Who is it?"

"Someone… I think it's Jeb!"

I nodded, and then looked at my gang, who had sped up, having heard the whole thing. "I'm going up, head right where Jitter tells you. Help him!" And I pushed myself upwards with my powerful wings after dropping Caramel into Jitter's arms.

When I got up really high, I could see outwards really far. I could see my gang and…

There!

I dived-bombed it, and got there quickly. _My group will be here soon._

Jeb was standing in the middle of a circle of Erasers, maybe six in all. He was looking nervous, and talking to them.

One of them laughed, throwing its head back. But then it saw me, and growled a warning.

"Max!" Jeb shouted.

"_No_ it's _not!_" I gritted my teeth. "I'm _Alex!" _I roared, landing on the first Eraser with all of my force. He grabbed for me, but I kicked him in the face and he went down. Another leapt for me, but I surged upwards, my wings blowing air down on them.

I hovered, and Jeb got a little bit away. My gang reached me just in time, and Key leapt powerfully into battle, crashing into one of them and taking him to the ground. Panda followed his lead, and Jitter started to zip around, confusing them. Paige turned invisible and started freezing them and then biting them somewhere else and then not moving so they couldn't find her. I dived onto them again, this time going into hand-to-hand combat.

They were too bulky, and I found that slipping around them and getting the back of their necks or their spine was the best way to take them down.

In a matter of minutes there was none of them left, and I pulled in my wings, checking everyone for damage.

Everyone was fine, Paige was a little tired; it was strenuous for her to put out so much ice. I patted her on the back, and she hugged me.

Jeb was walking forward. "Hello." He said. "Thank you for saving me. My name is-"

"Jeb." I cut him off. "I know."

He furrowed his brow. "Do I know-"

"Yeah. We escaped from the School as well. I happened to be in the cage next to Maximum when you freed her."

Jeb shrugged. "I couldn't save everyone."

I rolled my eyes. _Sure so you just leave the rest of us to rot. _

"Speak of the devil." Jeb said. He was looking up into the sky, and I saw six specks.

Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel.

In two minutes they had landed, which had given us time for Key and panda to switch back, and all of us get prepared.

"Who are they?" Max said. She hadn't changed much; she still had the glint in her eye, and she still looked suspicious of us.

I rolled my eyes. "You don't remember me?"

"No." She said bluntly.

"I grew up at the school. Just like you. Just like all of you." _And you better suck it up and remember right now before I kick you in the face. _

Max's eyes were narrowed. "Well, what are you doing here?"

_Oh, come on. Don't get all angry on me. You're the one who left us in that God forsaken place. _"We were just passing through." I said slowly, trying not to leap for her throat, "We heard-" I glanced at Jitter, "Um, saw Jeb getting attacked and helped him out." _Now you better listen to me before I kick your bitchy ass to the middle of next year. _

Angel giggled, and she tugged on Max's shirt.

"Yes?" Max answered, turning around to face Angel, who was giggling.

"She's trying not to kick your butt into the middle of next year. Only she thought it with _much _more enthusiasm."

I laughed. I had forgotten that Angel could read minds. But it seemed so impossible. I wanted to test it out. _Hi! _I thought.

She turned to me. "Hi." I laughed.

Max looked confused.

Paige came up to my side. Her innocent eyes pierced into Max.

"You remind me of Angel." Max murmured. Angel, behind her, giggled again.

"Do you have anywhere where we could spend a couple nights?" Paige asked in her insanely sweet voice. Angel's giggle turned into a laugh.

Max kept looking at Paige, but said, "Angel, are any of them hiding anything?"

"Only what they are." Angel answered instantly, and Max rolled her eyes.

"Okay, tell or show us what you are, right now, and we might let you spend a night with us." Her arms were crossed in front of her chest.

I turned to my gang. They were looking at me. I nodded.

Paige went invisible, Panda and Key changed, and I unfurled my wings. Caramel grew to three times her size, (roughly the size of a fully grown lion) and Jitter ran around to the back of them, said, "HI!" and ran back to my side, appearing there almost instantly.

For a moment, Max's flock just stared.

The Gasman whispered something in Iggy's ear, and they snickered.

Jitter fumed. "I heard every word of that."

Iggy's sightless eyes widened.

"Where did the little girl go?" Nudge said. "Can she teleport? Like is she in Australia right now? Can she bring me home a Kangaroo? I've always wanted a Kangaroo. So then maybe I could get in its pouch and it will love me just like its kid. And then I could name it Fluffles and-"

"Nudge!" Max said.

"I'm sorry," I said, "But it seems that I have failed to introduce us. I'm Alex. That's Jitter," I pointed at him, and he waved. "This is Paige," I wrapped my arm around her invisible shoulders, and the Flock's eyes widened. Well, except for Iggy.

"Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on?" He shouted. The Gasman stretched up and began to whisper in his ear.

"This is Key," I said, patting his big head. He grumbled.

"But they're Erasers!" Max exploded.

"No _duh." _I said. "Who said that some Erasers can't be good?"

Max quirked her mouth.

I ignored her. "And that's Panda. Oh- and the large cat is Caramel."

"Forget me again." She muttered.

And suddenly, out of the blue, the silent one spoke. It was quiet, but it was still speech. "How do we know that we can trust them?"

"Angel." Max said simply, absent-mindedly patting Angel's shoulder. She smiled.

Fang didn't respond. Of course. He looks so… Emo. And like… Depressed. But also so strong. _Hey. What's wrong with me? I never said that, okay?_

"Sure Alex, you never thought it." Angel said, "But don't worry." She winked at me when I widened my eyes in horror, "It can be our little secret."

I rubbed my head. I swear I don't like anybody! Key is my best friend, Jitter is, well… Jitter, and Fang? I just met him. So _no_.

Max turned to her flock. "Alright, everybody back to the house!"

The whole flock, minus Max, stretched out their wings and flew up into the atmosphere, beatifying the immediate area.

Max turned to Jeb. "How do we get _you_ home?"

"I'll walk." He sighed.

"No," I said.

They both looked at me.

I looked at Key, (who by the way, was still in Eraser form,) and he instantly knew what I was thinking. He nodded his big furry head.

I scooped Paige up, and Key padded over to Jeb. He bowed, bending his knees so Jeb could climb onto his back.

Max watched as Jeb climbed on Key's back as if Key was a horse, and Key bounded off, Jitter and Panda on his heels. Caramel caught up to Jitter just in time and leapt into his arms. I was left with Max and Paige.

"Let's roll," Max and I said at the same time. Paige giggled, and Max and I laughed. Then we extended our wings and flew up into the sky.

"So," I started after a minute of flying. "Where have you guys been all these years?"

"Our house."

"You have a house?" I exclaimed.

"Yeah." She laughed a little. She glanced down at my little gang below us, but they just looked like little specks. "It's a comfortable house, and it's on the edge of a cliff, hidden by some trees… It's just awesome. The only way in is if you have wings. Or… in Jeb's case," She glanced down again, "If we feel like dropping something down." She smiled. "Sometimes we dropped on one of those really slick ropes and watch him try to climb it. He doesn't leave the house much."

I blinked; she just had spilled completely about her house to me. But then I grinned, the emotion of her little rant getting to me. She rolled her shoulders.

"Why did you do that?" I asked. _Does flying a lot start to hurt? _It hadn't hurt me… yet.

"What?" She asked.

"You rolled your shoulders."

"Oh," She rolled her shoulders again. "That. I'm not really sure. I guess it's kind of when I'm uncomfortable… or I don't know. When I'm thinking."

I shrugged. _Whatever. Weirdo. _

"So when did you guys break out?" She asked.

_That was kind of random. Whatever. I guess she's just trying to make conversation. _"Just last year."

"Really?" She said, shocked.

"Yeah," I quirked my mouth. "It was horrible." I shivered, even though my jacket was keeping me at a comfortable temperature. "They… I feel like it got worse after you left." My voice was only a whisper. "They hurt us more, and like… they wanted us to run faster, work harder, fight more… It's like they were trying to make up for your absence."

"I'm really sorry Alex." She looked over at me. "But you know why I did it right?"

"Yeah," I sighed. "I had to keep telling myself that I would have done the same thing."

"I know it was mean. No- it wasn't mean. It was rude. It was stupid. There isn't even a word bad enough for it."

_Well, at least she's honest. _

There was a moment of silence. I choked back my tears from the first fourteen years of my horrible life. But then it was gone. I knew how to hold my emotions in.

Paige hugged me awkwardly, for she was in a bad position for that. But she managed. I almost jumped. I had forgotten she was there.

"No," Max said.

"What?" I asked.

She gave me the one second finger. She was staring at the ground. "Why? Why should I need to know? And here I was thinking that _I_ was the paranoid one."

Pause. _What the hell was wrong with her? _I exchanged a glance with Paige. She shrugged, and then looked down at the ground, where Jitter, Key, Panda and Jeb were starting to fall slightly behind.

Then Max turned back to us. "Sorry. There's a voice inside my head that decides to bestow me with completely unnecessary information at random times."

_Okaaaayyyy… _"Why?"

She shrugged. "I can only imagine that the Whitecoats created it."

"You aren't worried?"

"I've had to live with it for a while."

Before I could respond, she pointed. "There."

I looked. There was a piece of brown within the huge patch of green before us. She dive-bombed it. I followed, clutching Paige closer.

She landed on the roof, and hopped down onto the deck. She kicked a rope ladder down a hole and it fell around forty feet to the ground, just brushing the soft grass as it jerked to a stop. Jeb, Jitter, Key, and Panda started to climb it.

When I helped each of them up, Jeb disappeared inside, following Max, and I held Key's hand longer than necessary when I helped him up.

He looked down at our hands, and I quickly let go, blushing, and wondering what the heck was wrong with me. He laughed quietly.

Jitter instantly went into the house, and Paige followed him. Panda went right behind her, and I let Key go before me.

It was a comfortable house, the biggest that you could put forty feet in the air. In front of us was sort of four rooms put into one. There were four different kinds of flooring, each in a corner of the room. Where the four of them met, in the center of the room, there was a sort of pole, but squared off, and about as thick as my head. In the front left corner from where we were, by the front door, there was a living room. It was carpeted, and there was a couch, a loveseat, and a cushy chair, which was occupied by Iggy. He was sitting, just staring, (but not really seeing, duh,) at the window next to the door. The front right segment of the room was kitchen, and it was tiled. There was a fridge, a stove, a sink, an island, and some counters. The next part, the back right, was a dining room, a nice wooden table with seven chairs around it. There was a sliding glass door leading out to a deck on the back of the house. It looked like a nice view. You know, _right off the edge of a cliff. _The part next to that was an office, containing a desk with a computer, a lounge chair, and a shelf, packed with stuff. There was a small hallway leading away from the room between the living room part and the office part. Jeb and Max were in the kitchen, making something, and Fang was standing quietly, arms crossed, behind the table. Nudge was in a fistfight with the Gasman, and Angel was sitting in the lounge chair in the office part. Nudge and Gazzy instantly stopped their fistfight when we walked in, and they stood in the living room.

It took my gang twenty seconds to take in the whole scene, and the flock stared at us.

Jeb took it upon himself to unstitch the awkwardness. "Hey! So, um, Max why don't you show them to the guest room and they can out down their… um… stuff," He said, looking at our small backpacks, "And then by then Fang, Iggy, and I will have lunch ready."

Fang pushed himself from leaning on the wall, and walked over to Jeb, who assigned him to chopping something, while Iggy instantly found a frying pan and poured something into it. Max led us down the little hall, and I counted six eight doors. She led us into one, and there were two beds. I threw my pack onto one and helped Paige out of her jacket.

Max had left the room, and all five, err- six of us (I have to stop forgetting Caramel) sat on the beds.

"Jitter," I asked "Where are they? Any of them listening in?"

He shook his head.

I nodded, and lowered my voice. "Alright guys. We're just gonna try to fit in right now… This might not work out. We might have to leave soon. So don't freak if I tell you we have to leave. And remember, if anything happens to me-"

"Key's in charge." Panda, Jitter, and Paige said instantly and in unison. Key smiled.

"Yeah," I smiled at Key. "And after Key?" I asked without looking away from him.

"Panda, then me." Jitter said. "I don't get _why _Panda has to be before me. I'm older."

"She doesn't make erratic decisions."

"I'll show you erratic." Jitter mumbled playfully.

I grinned evilly at him. "Bring it on."

**Yay! So that was the second chapter :D (No duh) and I hope you will review it! If you want to give a suggestion, I'll consider it :) **

**(BUT IF IT INVOLES ONE OF THE FLOCK DYING, I WILL NOT. I'm sorry I love them too much :D) **

**If I get one review that's **_**NOT**_** Ezzy67 this time, I will update :) **

**Thanks! **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey! So I am writing another chapter for you guys! Screw that fact that no one reviewed besides Ezzy67.  
>Btw, Ezzy67 I love you! :D<strong>

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride. Or the songs that are played :)**

**Chapter 3: What the HECK?**

**Alex POV:**

Jitter jumped at me, but I dived out of the way and he crashed onto the bed. He quickly turned to Key. "Tag!" He howled, _"You're it!"_ Then he leaped away, and Key instantaneously spun and swiped at me, just catching my arm as I tried to jump away.

"You're it!" He called, and I leaped for Panda, but she had run out in the hall. I ran out after her.

Panda burst into the front room, and I ran out behind her, not really caring what the flock thought.

But the flock turned out to be having fun of their own. Fang and Iggy were wrestling on the floor; Fang pushed Iggy's face into the carpet, and Iggy was smearing something into Fang's hair. But they were both smiling and laughing.

Fang flipped him over and had his arms pinned behind his back, but Iggy flipped his legs up and pushed Fang off balance. Jeb was looking like he had given up on trying to stop them; he was standing in the kitchen with his eyes closed and one hand pinching the bridge of his nose, the other supporting himself on the counter. Nudge, Angel and Gazzy were all watching the fight from on top of various pieces of furniture, all cheering with enthusiasm. Gazzy was on the lounge chair, Angel was on the couch, and Nudge was on the table. Max stood near the play-fight, her wings out, shouting, "My money's on Fang!"

Fang grinned, but then he was distracted as he tried to push Iggy off balance.

My gang was laughing, and Jitter jumped up onto the table next to Nudge, Paige joined Angel, and after a moment of hesitation, Panda went over by Gazzy. Key and I stood next to each other, laughing, and absent-mindedly I reached over and grabbed Key's hand.

He looked over at me, but he didn't pull away. He tightened his fingers around mine and then smiled at me. I got lost in his smile. But then I shook it off, smiling back, blushing a little.

_Wait a second. What am I DOING? _My smile fell a little, but I wasn't looking at Key anymore, so he didn't see.

Fang finally won, sitting on Iggy's back, with his arms and legs pinned down. "Ha!" He spat, with a small smile. Then he stood and helped Iggy to his feet. "Now, excuse me, I have to go wash the egg yolk out of my hair."

Max and Iggy laughed as Fang slipped past Key and me, heading into the first door on the right. _The bathroom. _I tucked that into the back of my brain for future use.

I looked down again. I was holding Key's hand. I was _holding_ Key's _hand. _

_I_ was holding _Key's _hand!

I quickly pulled it away, and Key turned his head towards me, a quizzical expression on his face. "What?" He asked me.

"I-I… I don't know… I can't… I mean you- Your hand…" I flushed, and it was only then when I realized that the room had gone silent and everyone had heard my embarrassing stuttering, and now they were all staring at me.

"I'll be back later." I mumbled, and then I hurried to the sliding glass door, ran across the deck and hurled myself over the railing on the deck. I fell downward into the gorge, and when I glanced over my shoulder, I saw Key looking over the edge of the deck, his head bent and hand shielding his eyes from the sun.

I stretched out my wings, and shot off into the ravine, shooting around things, and flying slow lazy loops around boulders. I think once I even flew right through a water fall, and then enjoyed the feeling of the water rolling off my wings.

After a while, I went back. I landed almost silently on the deck, and walked inside, my wings slightly open, extended just so they slightly went around my shoulders. Inside, Iggy was playing a word game with Jitter, and Panda, Gazzy, Angel, and Paige were playing a video game. Fang was sitting at the table, staring at something in his hands, and moving it around the table. Key, Nudge, and Max were missing, I could only guess that they were in their rooms, and Jeb was in the kitchen.

I sat down at the table, across from Fang, pulling my wings in all the way. Fang's eyes flickered up for an instant, and then dropped back to whatever was in his hands.

"Hi." I said.

He glanced up again, gave me a tiny nod, and looked back down. His dark eyes were unreadable, and his black hair moved around in the slight breeze from the open sliding glass door.

"Why don't you ever say anything?" I asked him, frustrated. You would be too, if the person that you were trying to talk to refused to speak at all.

He shrugged, and my anger rose a little, but I calmed myself. This wasn't being fair to him. _Well, he wasn't being very nice in the first place. _

"Can you even speak?"

He nodded.

"Then why don't y-"

"I'm quiet. Deal with it." He snapped at me, cutting me off, and I wanted to get kind of angry, but then I realized how much that actually made me want to laugh. Then realization hit me. _Hey, wait a minute! I got him to say something! _

Mixed emotions.

But I wrinkled my nose a little. "You aren't making a very good first impression."

"I know." He smiled, but then it fell again, and he just looked at me. He was still fiddling with what was in his hands.

"What's that?" I asked, leaning closer to try to glimpse whatever it was. He pulled his arms off the table and dropped them into this lap.

"_Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"_ Gazzy screamed. I jumped.

"POWNED!" Paige shouted.

_Powned? _Where did she learn that? Certainly not me or Key. I guess I would have to talk to Jitter about language. _Again. _

Iggy said, "Cauliflower!"

And Jitter replied, "Guess I got my swagger back!"

_Swagger?_

I turned back to Fang, who turned out to be silently laughing. I shot him the bird and stood up. "You're weird."

He nodded, honesty showing in his eyes.

I rolled my eyes and walked from the room, heading down the hall. I heard Max taking a shower, and when I passed Nudge's room she was reading a book. I heard music coming from the guest room, and I stood outside, the door frame hiding me from Key's sight.

_The record plays to the beat of my heart and my heart you know it plays like a metronome. If the record skips a beat my heart will too. _

I took a couple deep breaths. I want ready! I didn't know what to say to him after my awkward jumping-off-the-deck-because-I'm-running-from-all-of-this stunt.

_It plays the soundtrack to my falling tears soundtrack to this wasted year, and the sleeves hid scars better than I could ever do. _

I heard Key mumbling along to the song.

_When we hear hearts break we'll say they're playin' our song. _

I rubbed my face, trying to sort through my brain. Nothing was helping. Giving up, I spun myself into the doorway.

"Hi." I said.

He looked up. He had been laying on one of the beds, eyes closed and his hands folded on his stomach. He sat up, his legs hanging off the edge of the bed.

I sat down next to him, and he said, "Sorry."

"Sorry?" I protested, "You're sorry? You're apologizing? I'm the one who should be apologizing. I'm the one who was being weird."

"Yeah," he agreed, "You were being weird."

I laughed nervously, trying to decide what to say. Just then, the song ended and a new one came on.

Both of us instantly recognized it. "Um…" Key said. We both stared at the iPod that was supposedly on shuffle.

_We were both young when I first saw you, I close my eyes and the flashback starts, I'm standing there. On a balcony in summer air. _

My eyes were still glued to the iPod, but Key's eyes had moved to me. My mind drifted to the first time Key had been carelessly tossed into my cage. He had stood up, brushed it off as though it was nothing, even though he was bleeding slightly, and said, 'Hello…'

_See the lights see the party the ballgowns, see you make your way through the crowd and say hello._

I had responded with a mumble, for it had only been a few days since Max and Jeb had left me to rot, and I had been depressed for the whole time. Right up until Key showed up. He told jokes, and even though we were in no place to be happy, we were happy.

_Little did I know, that you were Romeo and you were throwin' pebbles and my daddy said stay away from Juliet, and I was cryin' on the staircase, beggin' you please don't go. _

Key hugged me, and I hugged him back, laying my face on his shoulder. He smelled like… well, he smelled like Key. Not surprising.

_And I said, Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone, I'll be waiting, all there's left to do is run, you be the prince, and I'll be the princess, it's a love story, baby just say yes. _

Key pulled out of the hug, but he kept his arms around my waist. I put my arms around his neck and straightened out his hair with one hand.

_So I sneak out to the garden to see you, we keep quiet 'cuz we're dead if they knew, so close your eyes. Escape this town for a little while, 'cuz you were Romeo I was a scarlet letter, and my daddy said stay away from Juliet, but you were everything to me, I was beggin' you please don't go. _

I buried my face in his shoulder, wondering what the heck was wrong with me to be feeling this way for Key.

_And I said, Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone, I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run, you be the prince and I'll be the princess, it's a love story, baby just say yes. Romeo save me they're tryin' to tell me how to feel, this love is difficult, but it's re-eal, don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess, it's a love story baby just say yes. _

I had to keep myself from crying; _not_ something I should have had to do. Both of us were mumbling the words to the song now, but neither could see the other one's face.

_I got tired of waiting, wondering if you were ever comin' around, my faith in you was fading, when I met you on the outskirts of town, and I said, Romeo save me, I've been feelin' so alone, I keep waiting, for you but you never come, is this in my head I don't know what to think, he knelt to the ground, and pulled out a ring and said, marry me Juliet you never have to be alone, I love you and that's all I really know I talked to your dad go pick out a white dress, it's a love story, baby just say yes. _

I looked up at Key, his black eyes staring into my brown ones softly.

"Key…" I started, but the last line of the song interrupted me.

_We were both young when I first saw you. _

"Key," I took a deep breath, starting again. "What would happen if… we… got together?"

"What bad could happen?" He countered. He turned me so we were side by side, his arm over my shoulders. I felt young.

"I don't know… What if you aren't what I want? We… We break up? My gang- Our gang would fall apart…" _Shit. A lot of that came out wrong… _"Wait…" There wasn't much I could say. It had already come out. I could just hope to not screw up more.

"You're arguments are starting to sound very self-centered," He half-growled.

"Well, they're true aren't they? What else is there?" oh no- I didn't mean that! No no no! I lost my head! Don't take that the wrong-

"What else is there? _What else is there! _Don't I matter? Doesn't Paige matter? What about Jitter? Panda! Hell, even Caramel! Look at yourself! Think about what you just said!" He stormed out of the room, leaving me running after him, calling out.

"Wait! I didn't-"

He exploded into the front room, with me right behind him. Everyone was there now, Nudge had joined Iggy and Jitter, and a wet haired Max was playing cards with Fang.

Max froze with a card half on the table, her eyes flicking over to us, and the four kids playing video games also froze. Someone's car flipped over and they died, but no one was looking at the screen. Jitter pause mid-sentence. Even Jeb stopped, looking over at us.

Key stopped and spun around, and I almost slammed into him. He towered over me, and my confidence shrunk. "No! Let me tell you to wait! Just wait for me to come back! Wait forever! I won't come back! You aren't worth my time! Whatever I saw in you is gone! Do you want to know what you are? I'm starting to realize!" He was practically screaming, and I was shrinking, wishing I could disappear, my eyes as wide as dinner plates. "You are a no good, dirty, greedy, self-centered little _BITCH!" _

Then he raised his arm, and slapped me across the face with all of his strength.

I spun half around, and landed on the floor, one hand on my face, the other supporting myself on the floor. _Oh my God oh my God Key I didn't mean it I didn't mean it wait…_ I tried to speak but nothing came out.

"See you in hell, bitch. That's obviously where I'm going, seeing that I've been hanging around _you_." He said, and I couldn't see through my tears, but I heard the front door slam.

The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. I barely heard Key's feet hit the ground forty feet below the house. My ears were ringing and my face stung. Everyone's eyes were on me.

"Shit." I whimpered, tears of anger and frustration leaking onto my shirt.

Paige looked horrified. "Alex? What just happened?"

"I don't know… Everything came out all… wrong…" I whispered. But it didn't matter. Everyone could hear me. The room was deathly quiet.

I pulled myself up, using the chair from the living room, debating walking back into the bedroom, and then I just stood there, clutching my face.

Suddenly the silent one exploded. "Well, why aren't you following him!" I looked up. "You need to follow him! Tell him what happened! What's wrong!"

I was shocked, not only did Fang say four sentences, but they were loud. But then I forced myself to think about what he said. _He's right…_

I stumbled out the door and threw myself off the edge of the deck, soaring out across the open country. I stretched out my wings and flew low, looking for the moving heap of dark fur that signaled my Eraser best friend.

I found him running across the plain and dive-bombed him. I backpedaled, wanting to land next to him, but I had started too late. I crashed into him, and we tumbled head over heels together. We finally came to a stop with me on top of him, He was looking up into my eyes, and he morphed back into human. Then his eyes grew angry. He tried to push me off of him.

"No!" I said. First of all, I was having an electric feeling in my heart, and second, I had to explain thing to him.

"Key! I'm really, really sorry. I didn't mean to say what I said. It's just…" I paused, taking a deep breath. Then, suddenly everything just poured out. "For some reason for the last couple days I've been feeling weird around you and I haven't known what to say or what to do and I have this feeling in my stomach and my chest and my head… I feel like I have butterflies in my stomach, and I feel like I can't get enough air and I feel so lightheaded like I'm going to be sick… but, Key, I'm not going to be sick… I… I think I'm in love with you." He had stopped fighting, and his eyes widened. "I-I'm sorry." I stuttered.

His eyes went back to normal and his mouth stretched into a smile. He grabbed the tops of my arms, and said, "Why are you apologizing?"

I sputtered a little, not knowing what to say. My hands were on his chest, and suddenly I was breathing quicker. "I… Don't know…"

He was looking into my eyes, and I was looking into his. Suddenly he stretched up and kissed me, right on the mouth.

My eyes stretched wide, and his closed. My eyes drifted closed, and his turned his head sideways to get closer. I slid my hands around his neck and tangled them in his soft black hair. His lips parted, and I clutched him closer to me.

He slid his hands around to my back, and then down my back, giving me the shivers. They stopped at my torso, holding my close to him. We broke apart, gasping, and I stood up, pulling him up with me.

He hugged me, and when he pulled away he gave me a little peck on the cheek. "Lets' go back now, shall we? It's getting dark."

Sure enough, the sun was starting to set over a little hill to the west.

We started walking back, hand in hand, like normal people. As if we were trying to forget the fact that we were mutant freaks that were on the run.

The sun was setting, giving the plain a brilliant glow. Key's face shone in the half-light. And, for a moment, everything was perfect.

But then that moment ended.

Key's hand was ripped from mine, and I turned around to see him suspended in the air, held up from the back of his neck by a huge, meaty, Eraser paw.

**Hehehehe! Sorry about the cliffy, but I just had to :) **

**So yeah :D please please please review **

**Reviews keep me sane :) just knowing that I'm not alone in this big world :P Remember I'm open to suggestions! **

**:D R&R! **


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